The mobile world's whipping post deserves a fresh look, thanks to some compelling new features

Microsoft has struggled to get the smartphone right, with four widely panned versions of Windows Phone since 2010. But finally, its fifth version -- Windows Phone 8.1, due out later this year -- delivers something people will really want: A simple but capable smartphone that has a slick interface.

Believe me, this is a real change of pace for Windows Phone.

Highlighted here are six capabilities that are breathing new life into Windows Phone -- and that should get you to take a fresh look at Microsoft's revamped smartphone.

One of my favorite Windows Phone 8.1 features is how it displays calendar information for a specific day when in week or month view. Tap a day, and its details pull out from the view, giving you a handy snapshot of the day's events within the greater context of your weekly or monthly calendar.

The truth is that even Windows users favor the iPad as their tablets, and many have Macs at home as well. Microsoft now embraces that multiplatform reality and supports Apple's iCloud accounts for email, calendars, and contacts, so you can more easily integrate the Apple part of your technology world with Windows Phone. Even better, changes are updated bidirectionally, so you can really use iCloud without worry.

In 2011, Apple's Siri was the talk of the town, an electronic assistant that could interpret free-form voice queries and respond with relevant information most of the time. Although Android had voice-based search at the time, it was nothing like Siri.

Since then, Android has caught up. And with Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft introduces Cortana -- a surprisingly good voice response technology, capable of handling free-form requests as accurately as Siri and Google Now. Although technically still in beta, Cortana comes off as a polished final product, not a first try.

Windows Phone's live tiles were intended to be your go-to source for notifications at a glance. The truth is, few apps use them well -- or even at all. With Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft clones the Notification Center from iOS, adding quick-access controls À la Android for accessing notifications and most networking controls from any app. Just pull down from the top of the screen to open the new Action Center.

Tip: If you want to get your music and video playback controls, you won't find them here. Instead, push on the volume rocker to open a separate control tray for that.

Windows Phone also joins iOS and Android in letting you search for information on your smartphone, not just on the Web. Use the labels at the top of the search screen to switch among search targets such as the Web or your phone.